album of the month
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I’ll be one of the first to admit this: intriguing album designs draw me in. Even in the age of digital artwork, nothing quite says “listen to me” than a singular, creative, point of view. I mean, what else would explain how I stumbled upon Miguel Braga’s haunting nocturnal ambient jazz album, Ritual?
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She didn’t have to do this, yet, nevertheless, she persisted. That’s the refrain bopping in my head as I go through Anna Banana’s past, looking to shed any more light behind the creation of this album: 大きな絵 (Big Picture). It’s about a hafu (and worse, a nisei), barely making any kind of ascent into stardom,…
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There’s a reason that art can transcend time, space, and vocabulary. It does so because it can speak to something innate born within us. Perhaps, it’s that ability to empathize, to experience shared emotion through song. It’s what feeds any musician to put their thoughts on instruments and express themselves to others. And, as shown…
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Six years. Has it really been that long? Yes, it has been nearly six years since I first wrote about the late, great Masahide Sakuma. It was back in 2016 when all we’ve ever experienced from Masahide came from a certain light. And now, I feel it’s time to share with you something just as…
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Forgive me if I’m repeating myself, but if I haven’t said it bears I’m saying it now: sometimes I (just like each of us) is just a vessel for the greater good. In this case, it’s facilitating keeping a bit of music history alive. So, a huge thank you to both Victor Hsu Jui-Ting (who’s…
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You know, sometimes as I choose to share a bit of music, what strikes me to do might be things that might not strike others quite the same. One of those things, I’ve got to say, is that I’m still a big fan of album covers and album titles that invite your mind to wander.…
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As you all may know now, “late summer” is more of a vibe than a season. It’s in between times when hot summer days ease down with cool, easy-going, summer breezes. For the longest, I’ve been fascinated with music that speaks to this period. It’s precisely this hammock season that I’m going back to an…
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You know, sometimes I’m as much of a wanderer as you are. There are stories I’d love to really tell but (try as I may) I run into a limitation called: written history. Catherine Le Forestier’s Music Of Aziza is just one of those creations that merits more discovery than what I can share today.
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Traveling. That’s all I can think about now. I won’t bore you with too much autobiography but life has been quite stressful lately. So, when I put on music – or when I share music – I want it to take me (or us) somewhere. And lately, its cardinal points have taken me to the…
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Talk about worlds within worlds. Isn’t that the essence of Keishi Urata’s 世界の果て (Final Frontier)? It’s about combining electronically-imagined sound atmospheres with otherworldly IRL, acoustic instruments. It’s about exploring the edges of jazz, ambient, and traditional music for an imaginary soundtrack to imaginary environs. It’s a work full of mystery from a man whose whole…
ambient art pop art rock balearic brazilian electro-acoustic england environmental music experimental fourth world Funk fusion japan jazz minimalist mpb neo-folk neoclassical new age walearic